Details of Award
NERC Reference : NE/N009061/1
Using biological metaldehyde degradation for bioremediation and diagnostics
Training Grant Award
- Lead Supervisor:
- Professor JWB Moir, University of York, Biology
- Grant held at:
- University of York, Biology
- Science Area:
- Freshwater
- Overall Classification:
- Freshwater
- ENRIs:
- Environmental Risks and Hazards
- Natural Resource Management
- Pollution and Waste
- Science Topics:
- Environmental Microbiology
- Water quality
- Ecotoxicology
- Water quality
- Environmental pollutants
- Water Quality
- Environmental biotechnology
- Environmental sensing
- Microbial degradation
- Pesticides
- Water quality
- Technol. for Environ. Appl.
- Abstract:
- Metaldehyde is a molluscicide used to kill slugs, thus protecting economically important crops, particularly potatoes, wheat and oil-seed rape. Following its use, metaldehyde runs off agricultural land and can accumulate in river and reservoir water, ultimately contaminating drinking water. The removal of this potential toxin from water is a major issue for Water Companies. Thames Water along with around 10 other water supply companies in England has an undertaking from the Drinking Water Inspectorate as a result of a failure to supply water within the requirements of the Water Regulations. This results specifically from the inability of conventional and advanced treatment works to remove metaldehyde from river or reservoir water to below the standard of 0.1 ug/l at all times. As currently operated metaldehyde passes through most water treatment works relatively untouched. The current project is a collaboration between the University of York, Thames Water and the Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA Science Limited), the aim of which is to develop new approaches to detect and degrade metaldehyde, with the ultimate aim of protecting the quality and safety of UK drinking water. Currently, there are no available economical methods for consistent removal of metaldehyde to below regulatory limits. There is some evidence that granular activated carbon could potentially be used, if the media used could be regenerated five times more frequently than in current procedures, but practically and economically this is not achievable and the infrastructure for managing this is not present in the UK. There is evidence that slow sand filters can achieve up to 40% removal of metaldehyde (but only after weeks / months of acclimation), but this still does not result in compliance with the challenges we have received in problem years. The approach we will use in this project will be the application of naturally occurring microbiological degradation as a new solution for metaldehyde contamination. Recent work by the project team has identified biological metaldehyde degradation by bacteria for the first time. We will characterise the properties of these microorganisms, select for the best strains and test their suitability for metaldehyde removal in slow sand filters. In a second strand of the project, we will exploit the biological metaldehyde degradation mechanisms to design metaldehyde biosensors. Currently, metaldehyde measurements require laborious laboratory-based chromatographic analytical equipment, and the aim here is to create sensor devices that will allow a rapid detection method on the river network, allowing us to accurately track the movement of metaldehyde and give us the ability to selectively control the abstraction of good river water and allow poor quality water to pass by with the pumps switched off. The development of a suitable fast and accurate local measurement technique would be a major step forward. The research will build upon earlier findings with respect to biological degradation of metaldehyde in order to develop new technologies for water treatment without incurring significant extra costs. As well as development of technologies specific for metaldehyde, the approaches taken with respect to both bioremediation and sensor technology will be more widely applicable to other contaminants (other pesticides, endocrine disruptors, etc.) that need to be considered in environmental management of water supplies.
- NERC Reference:
- NE/N009061/1
- Grant Stage:
- Completed
- Scheme:
- DTG - directed
- Grant Status:
- Closed
- Programme:
- Industrial CASE
This training grant award has a total value of £96,623
FDAB - Financial Details (Award breakdown by headings)
| Total - Fees | Total - RTSG | Total - Student Stipend |
|---|---|---|
| £19,160 | £11,000 | £66,465 |
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